About Today’s Subject:
Nate Utesch
Creator of: Ferocious Quarterly
Day Job: Art Director / Designer
Location: Ft. Wayne, Indiana
Websites: Nate Utesch, Ferocious Quarterly, One Lucky Guitar, OrbitalFleets
Twitter: @nateutesch
Launching a Print Publication in a Digital Age
To be so young, Nate Utesch has already done so much. He’s a graphic designer by trade, but he’s also a musician, an artist, and the curator/creator of the art and literature journal Ferocious Quarterly. We had a great conversation largely focused on the origins of Ferocious Quarterly, the journey he’s had with it so far, his decision to make it a print publication instead of a blog, etc. If you want a little more detailed snapshot of Nate, I highly recommend you go here.
This is interview 7 of 9 from the 2011 Weapons of Mass Creation Fest. Nate was one of the featured designers there showcasing artwork from his awesome OrbitalFleets series. It’s an ongoing project celebrating NASA’s US Space Shuttle program with original full-color art prints celebrating each of the five orbital vehicles of the United States Space Transportation System. I love that “all the proceeds generated from OrbitalFleets purchases go directly into the printing operations at Ferocious Quarterly.” What an awesome blend of art and entrepreneurship – using one artistic creation to help support and finance another artistic creation.
A Few Insights from My Conversation with Nate
- If you believe in something, don’t be afraid to reach out to people to invite them to be part of it. The universe loves a decision. Being decisive and taking action has magnetic power. Nate mentioned that he sent out about 200 emails to some of his personal heroes to invite them to be part of Ferocious Quarterly, and many people said yes. It pays to ask. If you don’t ask, you’ll never know.
- Everyone gets stuck at times, no matter how talented or accomplished you are. As I mentioned, Nate’s already super accomplished to be so young. I found it interesting – and appreciated that he shared with me – that he still gets stuck and can have self-doubts when that happens. When he was younger, getting stuck felt like an even bigger deal than it does now though; now he realizes he just needs to take some time away from what he’s doing and come back to it later.
- Sometimes it’s best to just do it the old-fashioned way. Instead of publishing Ferocious Quarterly as a blog, Nate decided to go the old-fashioned route and publish it in print. It seems like that was largely a decision he made on instinct, and it seems like it really paid off and gave the publication a different feel. Sometimes technology is overrated.
Okay, it’s time to check out the interview. You can pick from:
1. A Taste (1 min. clip). Just a morsel.
2. The Feast (full 12 min. interview).
Option #1: A Taste (1 min. clip)
Option #2: The Feast (full 12 min. interview)
A Viewer’s Guide
- Brief intro to who he is, what he does, and an accomplishment he’s proud of
- An explanation of Ferocious Quarterly
- How Ferocious Quarterly got started
- Deciding to make it a print publication instead of an online publication
- Pushing through the self-doubt
- One of the biggest risks he’s taken so far
- How he handles getting stuck
- What matters most to him
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